Friday, July 18
Miranda Yaver: The Bay Area native and assistant professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh speaks about “Coverage Denied: How Health Insurers Drive Inequality in the United States,” an examination of the causes and consequences of coverage denials (often through the mechanism of prior authorization) by drawing on a nationwide survey of 1,340 adults, administrative data and numerous interviews with patients, physicians, health insurance lawyers and former health insurance executives.
2 p.m., Orinda Books, 276 Village Square, Orinda
Sunday, July 20
Rebecca Solnit: The prolific author, intellectual and essayist appears in a ticketed ($22-$38) talk with Angie Coiro (rescheduled from April) to promote “The Beginning Comes After the End,” her new book describing the massive social, political, scientific and cultural changes in the past 75 years that may counteract recent forces seeking to turn back the clock on history.
6:30 p.m., Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Monday, July 21
Taleen Voskuni: The Kiss & Tell Literary Salon hosts the San Francisco tech worker and author of “Lavash at First Sight,” speaking about her new queer romantic comedy “Our Ex’s Wedding” with Ann Adams, author of “Racing Hearts,” an opposites-attract romance about a competitive rower in a slump who returns to her hometown to train with a new coach.
6:30 p.m. Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda
Terria Smith: The Native (Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla) journalist, world traveler, editor of News from Native California magazine and director of the Berkeley Roundhouse, Heyday’s California Indian publishing program, speaks about “I Love You So Many: A Native Memoir of Adventure, Culture, and Family” with Piper Kerman, author of “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison” in a ticketed ($11-$35) event.
7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Wednesday, July 22
Daniel Mason: The South Bay writer, a Pultizer Prize-finalist for his short story collection “A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth,” launches “Country People,” his latest novel about a year in the life of a family that strikes out into the unknown (aka Vermont) in conversation with Bay Area writer-blogger Beth Spotwood, in a ticketed ($11.50-$45) event.
7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Thursday, July 23
Veronica Rossi: The Northern California writer of young adult books and historical fiction discusses her novel “Rebel Spy,” which reimagines the story of Agent 355, a New York society girl and spy for George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
1 p.m., Ygnacio Library, 2661 Oak Grove Road, Walnut Creek
Friday, July 24
Michelle Huneven: The Southern California author of “Bug Hollow,” the 2026 One Book Napa selection, shares the novel—a decades-spanning family saga about members of a messy but loving clan as they cope in after the loss of their son — in conversation with Napa writer Anne Evans. The ticketed ($20 or free for students with ID) event is part of the Napa Valley Writers Conference.
6:30 p.m., Napa County Library, 580 Coombs St., Napa
Saturday, July 25
Aiden Yang: The San Francisco writer speaks about “The Spineless Porcupine: Why Our Differences Are Superpowers,” an all-ages fable about diversity and inclusion based on his journey of self-discovery as an Asian American trans man.
3 p.m., Books Inc., 601 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Sunday, July 26
Nicholas Enrich: The former civil servant discusses “Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower’s Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID,” his memoir about what happened, and what was at stake, when the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency began to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, a longtime humanitarian institution.
4 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera
Richie Unterberger: The rock ‘n’ roll historian appears with City Lights events director/editor Peter Maravelis and DJ Michael Gabriel to launch “Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground,” described as the “authoritative tome on the band that changed music, fashion and culture forever”; admission is $10.
6:30 p.m., Make Out Room, 3225 22nd St., San Francisco
Tuesday, July 28
Joseph Ogilvy: The chef and writer shares “Tin Can Coast: A History of Industry, Greed, and Fishing in the Golden State,” in which he explores the hidden history of the California coast through generations of immigrants, industrial shifts and human impact on marine species.
6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera
Catherine Cho: The literary agent and author of the memoir “Inferno” shares “The Devoted,” her debut novel about a young Korean woman who becomes entrenched in an infamous crime organization, in conversation with San Francisco novelist Sophie Wan.
7 p.m., Booksmith, 1727 Haight St., San Francisco
Wednesday, July 29
Keith Hansen: The author of “Hansen’s Field Guide to the Birds of the Sierra Nevada” and “Birds of Point Reyes,” both published by Heyday Books in Berkeley, shares his experiences studying the birds of Point Reyes, arctic Alaska, the Galapagos and beyond in an entertaining program featuring rich illustrations.
6 p.m., Steve Silver Music Center, fourth floor, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco
Thursday, July 30
Greg Sarris: The Sonoma writer and tribal leader discusses “The Last Human Bear,” a coming-of-age story following a Native Pomo woman from the Great Depression to 21st century (inspired by the Native elders he knew in his youth), with writer-naturalist Obi Kaufmann, author of “The California Field Atlas.”
7 p.m., Clio’s Books, 353 Grand Ave., Oakland